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Shanahan confirms RG3 will start Week 1

Ashburn, VA (Sports Network) - Washington Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan officially announced that Robert Griffin III will be under center when the defending NFC East champions open their 2013 season against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday.

Griffin, the 2012 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, sat out the entire preseason while recovering from surgery in January to repair both the lateral collateral and anterior cruciate ligaments in his right knee. The standout quarterback sustained the LCL injury in a win over Baltimore in December, then tore the ACL in Washington's loss to Seattle in the NFC Wild Card Playoffs.

The former Heisman Trophy winner was cleared to play by renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews last week, and Shanahan confirmed the expected during his Monday press conference.

"I feel very good where Robert's at, and he'll be our starter on Monday night unless there's some crazy setback that we don't anticipate," said Shanahan.

Shanahan also reiterated that Griffin, who also tore his ACL in the same knee during his sophomore season at Baylor in 2009, will not be under any restrictions.

"If we didn't feel like Robert was full-go and he wasn't ready to play and do all the things that you ask a guy to do, then he would not be playing in this game," he stated. "We believe he can do everything that a quarterback is asked to do and if that's sprinting out, if it's running the option, if it's dropping back, we think he can do all those things because he's proved it to us in practice, and there hasn't been a setback so that's been a great sign.